One spin of Carolina Chocolate Drops’ cover of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ’Em Up Style” — complete with beatboxing — and you know you’re not dealing with a typical string band.

Like fellow North Caroliners the Avett Brothers, this progressive roots trio matches their taste for tradition with a healthy modern appetite.

“Tradition is a guide, not a jailer,” fiddler Justin Robinson explains on the group’s website. That certainly seems to be the modus operandi on the band’s Nonesuch Records debut, Genuine Negro Jig, which tackles traditionals (“Cornbread and Butterbeans,” “Trouble on Your Mind”) and contemporary covers (including “Style” and Tom Waits’ “Trampled Rose”) alike. Along the rhythm-heavy way, you’ll hear the highly vocal group mimic jaw-harps, drum machines and kazoos, complimenting serious skill with a great sense of humor.

The band comes to Nashville on Tuesday, Dec. 7 for an 18-and-older show at the Mercy Lounge (1 Cannery Row, 251-3020). It starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $15 in advance, $17 day of show.